By Evan Lee Salim 
Blockchain intelligence and analytical researchers at BitMEX Research have issued an urgent security warning regarding a sophisticated and emerging scam campaign specifically targeting early Bitcoin holders. The malicious scheme is heavily focused on long-dormant cryptocurrency addresses dating back to the foundational years of the asset, with a notable emphasis on wallets that have remained untouched for well over a decade.
According to the analytical firm, the perpetrators of this operation are attempting to exploit historical blockchain data by injecting false transactions and misleading messages directly into the public ledger. These malicious actors are leveraging OP_Return outputs, which are an optional field embedded within Bitcoin transactions capable of carrying small amounts of arbitrary data. By utilizing this mechanism, the scammers can broadcast custom text payloads directly to anyone monitoring or querying these historical addresses on block explorers.
The gravity of the campaign was highlighted in a heavily monitored case documented by researchers, where the attackers explicitly targeted the famous "1Feex" Bitcoin wallet. This particular address holds approximately 80,000 Bitcoins and is historically well-known within the cryptographic community, believed by many investigators to contain funds that were stolen during the infamous historical collapse of the Mt. Gox cryptocurrency exchange. The attackers meticulously crafted a bespoke message within the transaction data, designed to lure anyone monitoring the wallet into following a trail that leads directly to a fraudulent, malicious website impersonating the long-defunct Wall Street investment banking firm Salomon Brothers.
Upon visiting the fraudulent online portal, unsuspecting visitors are greeted by a simulated legal notice. The fabricated document asserts that the targeted wallet is legally classified as "lost or abandoned." To manufacture a false sense of urgency and perceived legal authenticity, the platform instructs supposed rightful owners or claimants to step forward and prove their ownership. The fraudulent site presents two primary methods for victims to incriminate themselves or compromise their security: either by digitally signing an on-chain message using the master private key associated with the ancient wallet or by submitting highly sensitive personal identification documentation through an online web contact form hosted on the site.
To further pressure potential victims, the notice includes an arbitrary deadline, warning that if no valid claim or response is received by October 5, the wallet will permanently be deemed legally abandoned under fictitious legal frameworks.
Fake Legal Claims and Fabricated Advisory Boards
In their detailed technical breakdown, BitMEX Research cautioned that the fraudulent website exhibits no credible, verifiable link to the actual historical entity of Salomon Brothers or its former leadership structures. While the malicious operators went to considerable lengths to construct a facade of legitimacy—including publishing a dedicated page listing an "advisory board" composed of real individuals who genuinely worked at Salomon Brothers during the 1980s—investigations confirm that none of these respected former financial professionals have any association whatsoever with this spurious, newly minted entity.
The research platform noted that this deceptive strategy bears a striking operational resemblance to earlier, controversial campaigns. Observers pointed out parallels to tactics previously associated with prominent figures such as Calvin Ayre, who had previously financed legal actions and public disputes involving the exact same Bitcoin address. Despite these historical associations, the current website operates entirely as a deceptive digital trap designed to deceive rather than pursue legitimate legal channels.
BitMEX Research underscored the deceptive nature of the setup in their public statements, emphasizing the stark disconnect between the real identities utilized on the site and the fraudulent organization behind the scheme. "The links between this company and this website are fake," the firm stated. "There is a page with an ‘advisory board’ that contains real people who worked at Salomon Brothers in the 1980s, however, these people seem to have no link to this new spurious entity."
Cryptocurrency community members and blockchain security experts have quickly weighed in on the unfolding situation, analyzing the technical parameters of the attack. Commentators have pointed out glaring operational security flaws within the scammers’ narrative, noting that a legitimate wallet owner attempting to prove activity or operational control would naturally execute a simple, low-risk transaction, such as moving a negligible amount of Bitcoin to a fresh address, rather than interacting with a sketchy, unverified legal website or exposing private keys.
These glaring inconsistencies have led widespread segments of the digital asset community to conclude that the campaign is not a genuine legal dispute, but rather a calculated social engineering scam. The overarching objective appears to be gathering sensitive personal identifiable information or manipulating users into exposing high-value private keys under the false pretexts of a legal settlement or asset recovery process.
Security analysts have reiterated stern warnings advising all digital asset holders, particularly veterans of the early cryptocurrency ecosystem, to completely ignore these on-chain injections. Users have been explicitly urged never to interact with the provided contact forms, visit the associated fraudulent domains, or attempt to sign messages using private keys based on unverified prompts found within blockchain transaction data.
The Rising Threat Landscape of Crypto Fraud
The emergence of this sophisticated wallet-targeting campaign arrives against the backdrop of an increasingly perilous security environment across the broader digital asset economy. Cybercriminals and state-backed syndicates continue to refine their methodologies, moving beyond simple malware and exchange exploits into highly targeted social engineering frameworks that exploit human psychology, institutional confusion, and historical blockchain artifacts.
The financial toll of these evolving criminal enterprises remains immense. Data covering the broader cryptocurrency sector indicates that throughout the first half of the year, malicious actors, hackers, and cyber syndicates successfully stole over $2.1 billion across roughly 75 distinct security incidents. This staggering figure represents a notable 10% increase in total stolen funds compared to the figures recorded during the exact same timeframe in the previous year, demonstrating that despite advancements in blockchain analytics and cybersecurity defense mechanisms, illicit actors continue to scale their operations successfully.
Security professionals stress that as the total valuation of the cryptocurrency market expands and early wallets appreciate exponentially in fiat value, the incentive for sophisticated threat actors to target dormant or forgotten fortunes will only intensify. The deployment of fake legal notices via OP_Return data fields highlights a growing trend where attackers utilize the blockchain’s own immutable ledger as a vector to deliver psychological pressure directly to victims.
As investigations into the Salomon Brothers impersonation site continue, security firms and community watchdogs alike are calling for heightened vigilance across the board. Early Bitcoin holders, estate executors, and institutional custodians managing legacy addresses are strongly encouraged to maintain strict operational security protocols, ignore unsolicited legal warnings delivered via on-chain transaction data, and rely exclusively on verified legal counsel when addressing complex asset recovery scenarios.
Asro 
Layla Zulfa 
Muslim